


Moving Out

by PhoenixWillRise



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: 15x22 aftermath, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Flowers, IKEA furniture makes or breaks a relationship, M/M, Nico helps Levi move out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-04 15:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18346628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixWillRise/pseuds/PhoenixWillRise
Summary: Levi is finally moving out from his mom's basement and into his new home. Levi thinks his new place is a dream come true...Nico does not. But he'd do anything to make Levi happy. Even assemble IKEA furniture.





	1. Moving In

Chapter 1

“Voila! What do you think?!”

Nico really tried to keep his face from expressing what he was thinking. He hoped the smile on his face actually resembled a smile and not a grimace as he eyed the dull paint covering the walls and the cramp feeling overall.

He focused his attention on his boyfriend turning on the lights that struggled to flicker to life. Levi spread out his arms as turned to face him.

It was definitely... something.

“It’s great isn’t it! My aunt’s best friend’s cousin is a realtor and they got me a good deal on this apartment.”

‘They must not be very fond your aunt,’ thought Nico. Then immediately felt bad for thinking so. 

But it just seemed a little rundown.

He tried to be gentle and mindful as he commented, “Baby don’t you think it's a little…”

Levi quipped in with a small shrug,“-that it's a little sad looking but think about the possibilities! I get my own place. Be an adult. Even though it's just an hour away from mom and work’s not that far. It just needs-”

Nico couldn’t help but smile endearingly at his boyfriend talking to himself as he walked around the tiny apartment. Muttering about what piece of furniture would go where and planning a date to go to IKEA. 

There was one bedroom, a small bathroom,a living room and kitchen divided by a breakfast bar and it smelt like no one had opened a window for a while. 

He didn’t want to dim that adorable smile on Levi’s face. He remembered when he first moved out and although his first place was shared with roommates and they had to share a bathroom and a refrigerator where all food was up for grabs. It had been liberating and exciting to be on his own. 

Well kind of. 

And this was Levi’s first apartment so he was going to help his boyfriend settle in comfortably and make the move go as smoothly as possible.

He heard Levi struggling with something in the bedroom. He wondered through and bit back a laugh as Levi attempted to open the stuck window.

Levi grunted,“Okay so it may be a bit of a work in progress but I think I could make it work.”

Nico pulled Levi to his chest pressing a tender kiss against his temple before going ahead and giving the window a good pull and successfully opened it. A cool breeze filled the musty smelling room. It ruffled the curls on the shorter man as he walked to another window.

“It's nice Levi. Just needs your things, some furniture, maybe paint, and maybe some lube for the windows and it will be home sweet home.”

Levi went to pull up the blinds. With one tug the whole thing lifted on one side.

Nico offered, “Curtains are nice too.”

Levi’’s shoulders slumped as he crossed his arms over his chest.“Mmm..this may be a harder than I thought. Adulting is hard.”

He whined the last part as he walked into Nico’s open arms. Nico embraced the smaller man, rubbing his arms soothingly.

“Just remember you get your own space, you can have friends over, maybe even let your boyfriend stay the night, whether to cuddle or do other things.”

Nico had his arms wrap around Levi’s waist, whispering into the smaller man’s ears all the positives. Grinning mischievously at Levi’s breaths hitched a little when he sucked the sensitive skin underneath Levi’s jaw.

“I'll need a bed for that last one...”

Nico looked into Levi’s hazel eyes, a serious expression on his face.

“It’ll be the first thing we move in then.”

 

x.


	2. Assembly Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IKEA struggles are real tho

Chapter 2

“Please Levi open the door.”

“No.” A firm reply came from the inside of the bathroom.

_Come on._

“You were being mean.”

"I'm sorry for losing my temper, sweetheart.”

“If you think I’m making things worse maybe I should just stay in the bathroom.”

Nico knew the door was locked but he continued to turn the doorknob to no avail.

“No...no baby come on. I got frustrated and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

 Nico heard a scoff as Levi responded,“You’re right you shouldn’t have!I was just trying to read to you what the directions said. They put them there for a reason Nico!”

Levi had been very adamant that they should follow the IKEA instructions right to the punctuation mark. But Nico... well he was very very determined to do it all himself and convinced that everything was easy and that instructions were just an option.

A guide really.

But the freaking bed frame was just not coming together and Nico was finally pushed to the brink when Levi used a condescending tone to inform him that he was being too stubborn to ask for help.

_Nico  whipped around to face the wide-eyed intern sitting on the couch with the damn instructions book open on his lap._

_‘WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING ACTUALLY USEFUL LEVI AND HAND ME THAT TOOL!'_

_Nico was startled when he saw Levi slam the book of instructions onto the nearby coffee table. His face was red as he stomped off toward the direction of the bathroom._

_He slammed the door shut after yelling, 'Get your own freaking screwdriver!’_

And here they were Nico on the ground, his ear pressed against the door and Levi on the other side no doubt sitting in the bathtub, pouting.

“Look I’m tired and I know you're tired so how about I order some take out and we just chill on the couch. No talking about building furniture just- just please talk to me, honey.”

He thought he heard a quiet, “Fine.”

 

***

They sat in an uncomfortable silence while _Star Wars_ played in the background. Usually Levi would lean into Nico’s arms and they would be in their own world the TV noise in the background.

 Now a tray covered with all of Levi’s favorites ( as well as some of Nico’s) sat between them as a divider. Nico really wanted to convey how sorry he was and had decided to pull out all the stops.

 Favorite foods, plenty of throw blankets and pillows, and a movie marathon.

 Even though Nico wasn't a big fan of the movie series, he would happily watch and hear Levi go on and on about the plots, the characters, his opinions on which character was related. It was adorable to see someone you loved so much light up about something they really enjoyed.

 He really missed his sweet boyfriend ramblings.

 Nico felt guilt gnawing at him and he decided to go for it. Suck up his pride and apologize.

 He turned to face Levi, his face expressing his vulnerability and remorse for hurting his boyfriend's feelings.

 Nico blurted out, “I'm sorry for being an asshole. I should have been more patient and listened to you!"

 Levi almost knocked over the tray as he shifted in his seat, “I’m sorry for being such a backseat driver or in this instance a backseat furniture assembler? I know you were trying really hard to get everything set up before tomorrow.”

 Nico laughed, all tension slowly but steadily seeping away. He didn't want to leave boxes of heavy, unassembled furniture laying around the already cramped apartment for Levi to possibly trip over and harm himself.

 He held out his hand to Levi, the hazel-eyed man took it as if Nico had just asked him for a dance and allowed himself to be pulled out of his seat into Nico’s lap.

 Levi looped his arms around his boyfriend neck bringing their temples to meet. Nico responded by pressing a tender kiss against those soft pink lips he adored so much.

 Their breaths smelled less than romantic but it didn’t matter. As long as Levi was looking at him and talking to him with that twinkle in his beautiful eyes, a little garlicky breath couldn’t put him off.

 

 x.


	3. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both of them were reflected in the tiny abode. From the sleek entertainment system and the plushy pillows, to the dozen of house plants and sci-fi movie posters enclosed in glass frames.

Levi was curled up on his couch the one he, Nico and Casey had lugged up into his apartment on one of their rare off days weeks ago. He had owed Casey countless of beers and a large pizza as an apology for the effort it took to get the sofa up the stairs. Also because Levi managed to get an apartment with very, very narrow stairways.

The apartment had finally come along. The last touch was the various cushions and throw blankets he’d been hoarding in his basement room.

The walls were a wonderful soothing blue, the furniture was dark oak which gave the small apartment a homey yet modern feel.

It felt like a sanctuary. One that Levi had desperately needed. He’d come home after a long night at Grey + Sloan Memorial. He’d been the one to save the firefighter chief of Seattle and lots of firefighters wanted to give their thanks and shake his hand.

He’d never thought he would meet so many beautiful faces in one night.

But despite the hot shower, and being covered in his favorite knit blanket that his grandma had made for him years ago, Levi was thinking of one particular beautiful face who had certainly left him feeling as if if all the air had been punched out him and he was still trying to get a gulp of fresh air back in his lungs

Those words that Nico had spilled so maliciously and unnecessarily rang in his head.

He heard a knock at his door, his head falling back on the cushion of the couch with a long sigh ,he was hoping it wasn't his neighbor Mrs. Vitalo asking him to watch her cat again.

He muttered to himself,“I don't need to fight that demon cat right now.”

But Levi had been raised to be polite and never ignore his neighbors. No matter how annoying. He looked through the peephole, his hands hesitating as they eagerly reached for the door.

A part of him wanted to let Nico in, to forget everything, to just hold him in his arms.

But a way more louder voice was telling him that he couldn’t simply let this go and pretend everything was alright again. Because he was still hurt, the sting of those words lingered even after being in the frenzy that was Grey + Sloan Memorial.

He could see Nico standing behind that door, his own bouquet of flowers in his hand the nervous tell sign of him brushing his hair back and bringing his hand to his chest as if reminding himself to breathe. Before he thought it was a cute adorable sign of nerves coming from his  boyfriend now he felt a weird satisfaction of seeing Nico this unsettled. It meant the older of the two realized that what he had done and said was unacceptable.

And he had to let Nico know that. He didn’t want this relationship to end or gloss over what had happened earlier in the day.

He opened the door.

Nico's eyes were downcast as Levi stared at him unnervingly, with his body blocking the rest of the way into the apartment. The apartment they had been building together. Both of them were reflected in the tiny abode. From the sleek entertainment system and the plushy pillows, to the dozen of house plants and sci-fi movie posters enclosed in glass frames. The ones Nico had searched the town ruthlessly for Levi.

It was their home. He missed Nico so much but he needed to put himself first this time. 

Nico took a deep breath, “Levi I was really out of line. I didn’t mean any of it-”

Levi was shaking his head, he held up a hand making Nico falter and pause.

“Stop. I-I have been doing a lot of thinking and I need to say this-”

Levi’s eyes fell on the beautiful arrangement of flowers Nico was holding. Those hands of an artist shook slightly.

He shook his head,“I went to buy you- to buy  _ you _  flowers thinking I should apologize for a mistake you made. You had a really horrible day. But that still gave you no reason to say the things you said. To treat me the way you did. So I thought why should I be apologizing to you when you were the one who said those things to me.”

Nico was shifting from one foot to the other,his eyes full of remorse and pain.

Levi pushed past his feelings of wanting to embrace the man.

“I have told you all about my fears,about the people who have walked all over me. I have also shared with you those moments where I felt I was being taken seriously. That I felt sure of my capabilities. And you in return praised me, lifted me up.I felt like I finally belonged. But in one second you became one of those people who have hurt me and walked over me. You took that and threw it back into my face. You hurt me, Nico. I- I don’t think I’m ready to forgive you…”

Nico’s mouth open and closed as if was searching for the right words to say but couldn’t as his shoulders fell into a slump so unlike his usual graceful, full of pride self. He looked up from where he had been staring at Levi’s fuzzy socks.

His voice was soft and had a tremble-like quality to it, “I’m-I’m sorry Levi for hurting you like I did. I-I took it out on you and I shouldn't have had done that. It was an asshole move and you’re right, you’re absolutely right it was  _ my _  mistake and mine alone. I should have taken ownership over it. What I said was not true. You’re strong and an incredible person-”

Levi could feel those butterflies that often came when Nico would say sweet things,but he pushed them away. Levi smiled softly,“I hear you and I appreciate you coming to try to talk but I need more time to think and take care of me right now. I don’t want to say something that I will regret later for saying or not saying. We- we will talk soon but just not tonight. Okay?”

Nico looked like he wanted to say more but he stopped himself, jerkily nodding his head.

“I understand. I’ll just um- Nico clumsily offered Levi the flowers- these are for you. You...you don’t have to keep them or anything if you don’t want to - but um you have a good night Levi.”

Nico offered him a shaky smile before taking a few steps  backwards as if he couldn’t take his eyes off of Levi. Levi nodded as he carefully held the bouquet of flowers, not wanting to crush any of the petals.

“You too, Nico.”

Levi gave a small smile as Nico walked away. He shut the door with the heel of his foot as he looked down at the flowers in his arms. The flowers gave off a beautiful scent. He couldn’t help giving them a sniff. An even bigger smile spread across his face as took each flower in remembering the florist telling him a detailed history of the meaning of flowers. It was a beautiful arrangement of bright yellow and pink roses, white tulips, and purple hyacinths.

They all said the same thing.

 

 

_ I’m sorry. _

  
  
  


x.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!


End file.
